Current Affairs 8th June 2019

Current Affairs 8th June 2019 - Important Points

• Veteran actress Anju Ghosh joins BJP on - 5th June 2019
• DMRC becomes India’s 1st project to receive Electricity from - Waste-to-Energy
• Russia launches 1st Arctic train service from - St. Petersburg station
• Who has been elected as new Prime Minister of Thailand ? -  Prayuth Chan-ocha
• Women’s Prize for Fiction won by - American author Tayari Jones 
  Current Affairs 8th June 2019 - Details

Veteran actress Anju Ghosh joins BJP on - 5th June 2019

Anju Ghosh, who is also a well-known veteran Bengali film actress joined the BJP on  5th June  2019.  Anju Ghosh is popularly known for her work in the Indian as well as the Bangladesh film industry  between 1984 and 2000.

Before  her official induction in the BJP, some reports had also described her as a Bangladeshi actress and raised questions on how she could join an Indian political party like the BJP.

Where the actress stated that she was born in Bengal and has an Indian passport and a voter ID card and also exercised her voting rights in Lok Sabha Elections 2019. 

DMRC becomes India’s 1st project to receive Electricity from - Waste-to-Energy

Delhi Metro has become 1st ever project in India to get electricity produced from a waste-to-energy
station. The initiative is in continuation of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation efforts to create an
environment-friendly network
Key Highlights

• Since commencement of June 2019, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has in progress receiving Two MW electricity from a 12 MW capacity waste-to-energy station formed in Ghazipur, UP.
• The electricity being received is being used at Vinod Nagar Receiving Sub-station for meeting operational requirements of Pink Line of Delhi Metro.
  Waste-to-energy Station
• It is a state-of-the-art facility, formed by East Delhi Waste Processing Company Limited. It is based on a Public Private Partnership model which consists government of Delhi, East Delhi Municipal Corporation & East Delhi Waste Processing Company Limited.
• It can process more than 1500 TPD of waste and can generate 12 MW of green electricity. This station is India’s 1st Euro norms compliant waste-to-energy facility.
• Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is expected to utilise about 17.5 million units/year from this station but energy offtake will depend upon actual generation of station.
• The station is assessed to mitigate above 8 million tons of Greenhouse Gases over the life of project thus opposing global warming.

Russia launches 1st Arctic train service from - St. Petersburg station

Russia has released 1st Arctic train service operating from St. Petersburg station led to Norway. The
initial trial journey of 1st tourist train traveling through Russia’s Arctic region and on to Norway will be a 11 days trip with 91 travelers aboard.
Key Highlights

• The train is named ‘Zarengold’ which means ‘The Tsar’s gold’ in German. It is accomplished with 2
  restaurant cars will travel along route from Saint Petersburg via Petrozavodsk and Murmansk.
• The travellers will get off the train at Murmansk &  will continue by bus to Kirkenes in Norway before ending their journey with a boat trip to Oslo the Norway’s capital or by air to island of Spitsbergen, the largest and only permanently populated island of Svalbard archipelago situated in northern Norway.
• The complete trip will take 11 days in totality and permit passengers to discover areas in Arctic region which are difficult to access by other means.
• The inaugural test journey is being assumed by tourist belonging to 7 nations including the USA,
  Germany, Norway and Russia.

Who has been elected as new Prime Minister of Thailand ? -  Prayuth Chan-ocha

National Assembly of Thailand nominated 2014 coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha as PM following military-backed party that nominated Prayuth secured 2nd-highest number of seats in House of
Representatives in a general election organised in March 2019.
Key Highlights of Thailand Election

• Prayuth was selected for a 2nd term by a margin of 500 to 244 votes against his opponent  Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of Future Forward party.
• Prayuth was candidate of military-backed Palang Pracharath party that secured 115 seats in 500-
  member House of Representatives, against its rival, Pheu Thai party that secured 136 seats is associated with self-exiled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.
• His candidature was also supported by 11 small political parties in Thailand to set-up next government in Thailand.
• Palang Pracharath party is seen as a proxy for Thailand military, which detained electricity in a 2014
  coup. Prayuth Chan-Ocha who was coup leader also worked as PM in military government before
  becoming a candidate to run for office of head of a selected government.
• Although the creation of new government led by Prayuth Chan-Ocha will finally return Thailand formally to civilian rule but it will be done under a new political system endorsed headed by junta Prayuth and its appointees.

Women’s Prize for Fiction won by - American author Tayari Jones 

American novelist Tayari Jones secured this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction for her 4th novel “An
American Marriage “. It is one of the biggest international celebrations of women’s creativity.
Key Highlights

• Her book contested against 5 other shortlisted authors, including 2 former Booker prize winners
  namely Anna Burns novel “Milkman” secured booker prize for 2018 and  Pat Barker’s new novel “The Silence of the “Girls “.
• She secured £30,000 and ‘Bessie’, which is a limited-edition bronze figurine.
• The Women’s Prize for Fiction programme was hosted at Bedford Square Gardens, London by novelist and  Women’s Prize founder-director, Kate Mosse.
• Helen Rogers was termed as winner of Women’s Prize/Grazia 1st Chapter Competition for unpublished writers.
• It is a powerful story about love and family, injustice and strong point. It portraits a young African American’s wrongful conviction and how it affects his marriage.